Apparatus for applying detergent to rugs and the like



March 16, 1965 SPEIGHT 3,173,155

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING DETERGENT TQ RUGS AND THE LIKE:

Filed June 3, 1963 INVENTOR.

lrraewix United States Patent APPARATEE FOR API LYFNG DETERGENT T0 RUGS AND Tim LIKE Paul L. Speight, Milwaukee, Wis, assignor to E. R. Wagner Manufacturing Company, Milwaukee, Wis, a corporation of Wisconsin Filed dune 3, 1963, Ser. No. 284,967 2 Claims. (Cl. 15-533) This invention pertains to improvements in detergent applicators of the type used in cleaning carpets or other articles having a nap surface.

In particular, this invention pertains to improvements in applicators such as disclosed in the United States patent issued to Yonkers et al. No. 2,976,559, which discloses a resilient sponge roller having brushes located fore and aft of the roller and cooperating with the sponge roller to apply a detergent to a nap surface. After the detergent has been applied and Worked into the nap by back-and-forth movement of the applicator, the nap surface is permitted to dry and thereafter it is vacuumcleaned to remove the dirt particles which have been worked free. The sponge roller of the referenced patent projects somewhat below the two brushes, therefore requiring a compression of the roller to permit the brushes to engage the nap during application of the detergent.

The aforementioned applicator has two disadvantageous features which are corrected by the present invention. First, the soft sponge roller retains dirty detergent, lint, and other foreign material which is difiicult to remove from the roller, and which tends to harbor bacteria and, in general, renders the applicator unsanitary. Also, the retention of dirt in the sponge roller tends to redeposit the dirt retained therein from previous uses onto the material being subsequently cleaned. This redeposition of dirt is especially undesirable when the applicator is used on a light and relatively clean nap after it has been used on a heavily soiled nap.

Also, the Yonkers applicator tends to produce nonuniform or uneven cleaning, the non-uniformity also being attributable to the sponge roller. When the appliance is fully loaded with detergent, the sponge roller is depressed, thereby allowing the brushes to take a deep bite into the nap of the carpet; however, when the appliance becomes empty as the detergent is expended, the sponge is only minimally depressed, therefore allowing the brushes to glide across the top of the nap without any appreciable scrubbing action.

In view of the above, the principal object of this invention is to improve the Yonkers applicator, particularly by providing a more sanitary applicator and by incorporating means therein which will provide uniform cleaning action regardless of the amount of detergent carried by the applicator.

The above object is attained by substituting a plastic longitudinally serrated roller for the soft sponge rubber roller of Yonkers. The hard plastic roller does not tend to absorb dirty detergent, lint, or other foreign material, and it is easily cleaned by merely wiping otf the surface of the roller after each application, thereby eliminating the sanitary, as well as the redeposition, problem of Yonkers.

The solid roller will maintain the brushes at a uniform distance from the carpet regardless of the amount of detergent carried by the applicator and, thus, will give a more uniform cleaning action and prevent streaking, spottiness, and other non-uniformities encountered with the Yonkers device. The serrations of the hard plastic roller provide troughs for the detergent supplied from a suitable tank and cause an even distribution of 3,173,165 Patented Mar. 16, 1965 the detergent over the entire length of the roller and thereby also aid in providing the even distribution of detergent to the nap.

Further, the hard plastic roller represents a less expensive method of manufacture, since the soft roller requires two end bearing pieces, an axle, and a soft roller, whereas the applicator embodying the present invention requires only two end bearings, plus one hard plastic roller.

Other objects and advantages will be pointed out in, or be apparent from, the specification and claims, as will obvious modifications of the single embodiment shown in the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation of the applicator embodying the present invention with part of the housing being broken away to show the relationship between the detergent tank, the valve, and the roller and brushes,

FIG. 2 is a view taken on lines 22 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of one end of the roller showing the bearing structure in detail,

FIG. 4 is a view taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 3 and showing the plastic roller in cross section,

FIG. 5 is a detail view of the brush and a fragment of the supporting bracket, and

FIGS. 6 and 7 show the cooperation between the roller and the brushes during the application of the detergent to a nap.

Referring to the drawings in detail, FIG. 1 shows an applicator embodying the present invention and generally intended for application of a detergent to the nap of a carpet. The basic elements of the applicator are a detergent tank 10 which may be made of a plastic material such as polystyrene and which may be molded integral with a housing 12. The housing carries a roller 14 and two brushes 16 by means of a support bracket 18 secured to each side Wall 20 of the housing. A handle 22 is secured to the bottom 24 of the tank 10 by means of a bracket 26 and passes upwardly through the tank to provide a comfortable gripping portion 27 for the user of the applicator. The handle is provided with a trigger 28, which, by means of a control Wire 3i), actuates a spring loaded plug 32 to permit discharge of the detergent from the tank to a distribution channel 34. The distribution channel extends axially in respect to the roller and overlies its entire length. It is provided with a plurality of discharge openings 36 which are uniformly spaced along the bottom face of the distribution channel and serve to distribute the detergent received from the tank to the surface of the roller.

The novelty of this invention lies in the cooperation between the plastic roller 14 and the brushes 16. The roller is tubular in shape and made of a hard plastic material and has an outward surface 40 which is provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending serrations 42 uniformly spaced around its circumference. As it should be apparent to those skilled in the art, a roller of this type may be easily extruded by well-known plastic extrusion methods.

Both ends of the roller are provided with end caps 44, which engage the roller by means of flanges 46 and inwardly extending portions 48. The end caps are provided with axle portions 50. The end caps may be made of nylon which is a well-known bearing material for this type of application. As seen in FIG. 3, the flanges 46 of the end caps tend. to seal the ends of the roller 14 and thus prevent detergent or other fluids from entering the roller.

The roller is rotatably carried in the housing by the axles 50 which are engaged by bearings comprised of a semi-circular plastic bearing member 52 made integral with the housing and a mating aperture 53 in the side wall 20. This type of bearing structure results in a very simple and inexpensive assembly of the roller within the.

housing.

The support brackets 18 are secured to the side walls 20 by means of rivets (not shown) or other suitable means. Each bracket 18 is provided with a pair of brush engaging jaws 56, which are pressed together against the metallic receiving heads 58 of the brushes 16 to permanently retain the brushes in the assembly. The receiving heads 58 etxend between the two bracl ets,'and thus, in conjunction with the brackets, comprise a substantially rigid rectangular frame.

The operation of the applicator embodying the present invention is best seen from FIGS. 6 and 7, wherein the applicator in FIG. 6 is moved to the right with the roller 14 rotating in a clockwise direction and the applicator in FIG. 7 is shown moving to the left and the roller rot-ating in a counterclockwise direction. In actual use, applicators of this type are advanced back-and-forth over the same area for several times, thereby subjecting the nap to the treatment as shown in FIG. 6 as well as to that shown in FIG. 7. Referring to FIG. 1, it is seen that the brushes 16 extend slightly past the roller 14. As the applicator is pressed against the nap, the brushes 16 penetrate into the nap and separate the fibers of the nap, thereby permitting the detergent 69 to fully penetrate the surface to be cleaned. In comparing FIGS. 6 and 7, it is seen that the fibers are bent in both directions, thus assuring the application of the detergent to both sides of the fibers. In detail, as the applicator is advanced (FIG. 6), the first brush bites into the nap and bends the fibers 62 immediately in front of the roller, thereby providing a temporary split 64 in the nap into which the detergent 60 enters. The split is closed upon further advance of the hard roller; however, the fibers are still maintained in the forwardly depressed position. This part of the applicators action assures full penetration of the detergent into the nap. As the roller is further advanced, the fibers return to the standing position. During this return the fibers move relative to each other, thereby providing a scrubbing action between the detergent covered fibers. Thereafter, the fibers are engaged by the second brush which again temporarily bends the fibers to provide a second scrubbing action. Also, working of the nap as detailed above tends to arcate the detergent, thereby rendering the same more effective. Moving the applicator in the other direction over the same place (FIG. 7)

4 subjects the nap to identical treatment; however, in this way, it is assured that both sides of the fibers get substantially identical treatment. Of course, the back-andforth movement also provides further scrubbing action.

After the detergent has been applied as described above, the nap is permitted to dry, whereafter the nap is vacuumcleaned to remove the dirt particles which have been worked loose from the nap by the above described method.

Although but one embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A device for applying detergent to a nap comprising, a housing, a tank for retention of the detergent, a relatively rigid roller having an intaglio surface and being rotatably carried by said housing, brushes carried by said housing and located fore and aft in respect to said roller, said brushes extending in a direction along the axis of said roller and projecting below said roller when the roller is placed on a nap to be cleaned, detergent distributing means positioned between said tank and said roller and adapted to convey a predetermined amount of detergent to said intaglio surface, said surface serving to convey the detergent to the nap during rotation of said roller, and said surface of said roller and said brushes being adapted to come in contact and depress the nap during detergent aplication and to Work said detergent into the nap upon back and forth movement of the device over the nap.

2. A device for applying detergent according to claim 1 wherein said intaglio surface is comprised of axially extending grooves formed in the surface of said roller.

Reterences Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,949,659 3/34 Rittcr 8137 2,972,764 2/ 6-1 Linenfelser 15-532 2,976,559 3/61 Yonkers et al 15-532 3,104,413 9/63 Nelson l5533 X FOREIGN PATENTS 849,740 9/60 Great Britain.

CHARLES A. NILLMUTH, Primary Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE FOR APPLYING DETERGENT TO A NAP COMPRISING, A HOUSING, A TANK FOR RETENTION OF THE DETERGENT, A RELATIVELY RIGID ROLLER HAVING AN INTAGLIO SURFACE AND BEING ROTATABLY CARRIED BY SAID HOUSING, BRUSHES CARRIED BY SAID HOUSING AND LOCATED FORE AND AFT IN RESPECT TO SAID ROLLER, SAID BRUSHES EXTENDING IN A DIRECTION ALONG THE AXIS OF SAID ROLLER AND PROJECTING BELOW SAID ROLLER WHEN THE ROLLER IS PLACED ON A NAP TO BE CLEANED, DETERGENT DISTRIBUTING MEANS POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID TANK AND SAID ROLLER AND ADAPTED TO CONVEY A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT OF DETERGENT TO SAID INTALGIO SURFACE, SAID SURFACE SERVING TO CONVEY THE DETERGENT TO THE NAP DURING ROTATION OF SAID ROLLER, AND SAID SURFACE OF SAID ROLLER AND SAID BRUSHES BEING ADAPTED TO COME IN CONTACT AND DEPRESS THE NAP DURING DETERGENT APLICATION AND TO WORK SAID 